Automatic-release car-coupling.



J. H. McELROY. AUTOMATIC RELEASE GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 18, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, Dv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIC JAMES HUGH MCELROY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC-RELEASE CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

Application filed October 18, 1912. Serial No. 726,455.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, JAMES HUGH MoEL- ROY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at the city of Toronto, in the county of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic-Release Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic-release car-couplers, and the prinv cipal object of my invention is to design an automatic-release car-coupler of a particular construction which will automatically; uncouple the derailed or partly derailed car from the car running on the rails, and so positively prevent the derailed car from dragging the other car off the rails.

construct a very strong yet simple car-coupler of the class described which, while posmanently provided with a coupling pin carried by the fixed member of the j aw, which is completed by a spring-held pivoted-member which coacts with the coupling pin to retain the coupled coupling bar in normal position andprevent accidental uncoupling of the "same, the said pivoted member and the said fixed member being spaced apart;

so as to permit the coupling bar or member to have a wide range of movement therebetween so as to permit the automatic uncoupling of a car from the one on the rails, should the said first mentioned car be other draw-head, the position of the parts.

' figure. A still further object of my invention is to illustrating the automatic uncoupling action of my car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a vertical 1on-. gitudinal section through the inner end of one of the draw-heads, and through certain other parts showing suitable means whereby the draw-heads are coupled to the frame of a car. Fig. 3 is a perspective view. of the front portion of the fixed jaw-member of one of the draw-heads. Fig. 4.- is a'vertical cross section, on the line .ab, Fig.1, illustrating further the uncoupling action ofmy coupler, and Fig.5 is a plan view of one end of the preferred form of coupling bar or link. 7

In the drawings, like characters of ref.- erence indicate corresponding parts in each In railway construction workprincipally, I have often noticed that when one dump car is derailed, it almo-sti'nvariably derails the other cars, and it requires, considerable time to put thecars-back on the rails. Sometimes. the cars fall. down a steep embankment and are badly damaged. .My invention is primarily designed to beused in connection with dump-cars used on railroad-construction work,- still the principle thereof can be embodied in constructions suitable for use in connection with ordinary freight and passenger service trains. The car couplers used to couple dump cars together are often deluged with more or less wet earth, and since my car coupler is. constructed so as to allow a permanent spacebetween the coupling members and the jaw, it Will be understood that the same can notjbecome.

clogged. The clogging of car couplers on railroad construction work must be avoided if the car couplers in use are to be capable of performing their function at all times. It must therefore be understood that I have merely illustrated one species of my invention, and that the principle of my .car coupler can be, embodied in various forms without departing from the spiritof my in' vention. i 7 V V A and B indicate as a whole, the drawheads of my car-coupler and each drawhead is ofcourse supposed to be coupled, after any suitable. construction, to opposing cars (not shown). The said draw-heads are cored out as shown at C for the purpose of lightness .of' construction. Integrally formed with each draw-head is a iaw-member D, and mounted in the hole E formed in each of the said jaw-members, is a coupling pin F. This coupling pin may be of any suitable construction, but I preferably provide it with a threaded shank G which extends through the hole E, and screwing on the shank is a nut H which pinches the pin tightly against the jaw-member D. A split pin or other suitable means I is passed through the threaded shank G to prevent the nut H from becoming loose. Integrally formed with the jaw-member D is a pair of pierced ears 2. Mounted between the said pierced ears is the movable jaw-member 3, through the head 4: of which passes the pintle 5. This pintle projects through the holes 6 formed in the ears 2. Any suitable means may be employed to retain the pintle in place: for instance, the pintle may be provided with a head 7 and through the other end of the pintle, (not shown) may be passed a split pin or other fastening means, I

such as that illustrated in connection with the threaded shank Gr. Each movable jawmember 3 is spring-held in normal position. I prefer to use a leaf-spring 8 which is suit- I ably riveted or otherwise secured to the topplate 9 of the draw-heads.

10 is any suitable coupling bar, and in the position of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1, the end 13 of this coupling bar is mounted on one of the coupling pins F and between the members D and 8 composing the jaw of will continue until the end 11 of the coupling bar 10 has escaped the coupling pin 1 F, when the car couplers are fully un- I coupled. The weight 'of the derailed car: will of course keep the head 13 of the coupling bar 10 against the coupling pin F of the draw-head B, and immediately the end '11 escapes the top of the coupling pin F, the

cars are fully uncoupled, as described. By 1 reason oi the spring 8, or its equivalent, the

movable jaw-member 3 is moved back to. normal position. The position of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1 refer principally to the derailment of a car by reason of the same running off the ends of the rails. Should a car be derailed sidewise from the rails the derailed car will draw the coupling-bar 10 sidewise, and, for instance, the end 11 of the said coupling bar will be tilted into the position illustrated in Fig. 1, thus prying open the movable member 3 and permit- 1 i the back-plate 25 of the boxing 21. From the foregoing part of the specificating the uncoupling of the cars.

tion it will be evident that the. more abrupt the descent of the derailed car may be the quicker will the same be automatically uncoupled.

According to the construction illustrated,

. the coupling bar 10 has a very wide range of movement between the member-S ,1 the jaw of each draw-head so as to provide for the automatic uncoupling of a car should the same be for any reason, violently thrown off the track and backward.

Each coupling end is preferably provided with an elongated hole 14. This shape of hole has an advantage over a round hole in that I can make the heads of the coupling bar, in my preferred form of construction, narrow, and yet permit the ready escape of the same over the coupling pins F.

Each coupling pin is provided preferably with a head 15 which laterally overhangs its sides, and mounted on each coupling pin is a sleeve or washer 16, which extends from the under side of the head, down to the jawmember D, and the outersurface of this sleeve or washer is flush with the sides of the head 15. I preferably use the washer so that when the same becomes worn, it can be readily removed and replaced. It is therefore evident that there must be no grooves or ridges on the outer surface of the coupling pins F to interfere with the uncoupling action of the ends of the coupling bar or link 10.

Any suitable means may be provided whereby the jaw-members 3 may be manually opened to permit the coupling of the coupling bar to a coupler. lhe construction illustrated shows a hand ring 17 loosely mounted in a stud 18 carried by the movable jaw-members 3. The lips 12 of the jaw-members D are so positioned that they will strike together in case the cars should be moved together when coupled so as to prevent the ends of the holes 14: striking against the coupling pins F, and so relieving the same from any inward thrust,

The under side of each movable jaw-member 3 may be provided with a concaved cavity 19, into which extends the top of the head 15. This construction is provided so as to provide more or less lateral support for the head 15 of the coupling pins F to withstand lateral strain caused by the pull of one car, on the rails, against the other.

A suitable construction for coupling my car-coupler to a car is illustrated in Fig. 2. This construction illustrates a transverse member 20 carried by a car (not shown), and suitably secured to this transverse member is a boxing 21, in which is mounted a coiled-spring 22, through which extends a bolt 23. The coiled-spring is held between the plate 24 mounted on the bolt 23, and The back-plate 26 of the draw-head A, for instance, receives the bolt 23, and the head 27 of this bolt rests within the cored-out part 0. 28 is a nut or other suitable fastening means retaining the bolt 23 in place. When the opposing lips of the j aw-members D strike, the draw-heads are moved inward, and consequently by the parts before described, the springs 22 absorb the shock.

It does not necessarily follow that the derailed car Will carry the coupling bar or link 10 with it, because it is possible for the derailed car to be uncoupled from the coupling bar.

The position of the lips of the jaw-members D will be such that when the cars are being normally coupled together, the hand can grasp the coupling bar or link 10 without danger of being pinched between the said lips.

From the foregoing specification, it will be clear to one skilled in this art that because of the space separating the jaw members 8 from the jaw members D, I provide a car coupler of open construction in contradistinction to the well-known type of car coupler, the draw-head of which is provided with a mouth and a throat. This construct-ion not only prevents the car coupler from becoming clogged up, but it also enables the coupler to perform its function no matter in what position the derailed car may be thrown.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an automatic release car coupler, the combination with the draw-head; the substantially fiat fixed jaw-member thereof provided with a pair of pierced ears projecting above the upper side thereof, and a coupling pin carried by said fixed jaw-member and projecting above the upper side thereof, of a substantially flat movable jaw-member;

means whereby said movable aw-member is hinged between said pierced ears, the said movable j aw-member designedto be spaced apart from said fixed jaw-member.

2. In an automatic-release car coupler, the combination with the draw-head; the substantially flat fixed jaw-member thereof provided with a pair of pierced ears projecting above the upper side thereof, and a coupling pin carried by said fixed jaw-member and projecting above the upper side thereof, and provided with a head which projects laterally beyond the sides thereof, and a sleeve mounted on said pin, between the head and said fixed jaw-member, the outer surface of said sleeve being flush with the sides of said head, of a substantially flat spring-pressed movable iaw-member, and means whereby said movable jaw-member is hinged between said pierced ears, the said movable jawmember designed to be spaced apart from said fixed j aw-member.

3. In an automatic-release car coupler, the combination with the draw-head; the fixed jaw-member thereof, the front end of which terminates in a lip, and a coupling pin carried by said fixed jaw-member and projecting above the upper side thereof, of a movable j aw-memloer, hinged to said fixed jawmember so that the lip of said fixed jawmember will be positioned the desired distance in advance of the outer end of said movable jaw-member, and operating to at all times provide a clearance between the same and said fixed aw-member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HUGH MoELROY.

Witnesses:

P. STROHMAYR,

S. O. T. TEACHER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

